It has come to our attention that the X apartment complex is discriminating against dog owners of specific breeds of dogs. Just as you do, we wish to ensure that the residents of X enjoy a safe and humane community. Your residents deserve to be safe from ALL reckless dog owners, regardless of the breed owned.

We now have hard science from geneticists showing that breed does NOT determine a dog’s behavior. A dog’s behavior is determined by a variety of factors, including training, handling, and environment.

The Center for Disease Control, the Department of Justice, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Animal Control Association, and the American Bar Association have all spoken AGAINST labeling dogs as “dangerous” or “aggressive” based solely on breed.

Attached is a chart that shows how different breeds of dogs score on the temperament tests administered by the American Temperament Test Society, a completely neutral organization. The results, published by the Huffington Post, show that pit bull dogs, on average, score higher on their temperament tests than Golden Retrievers, Collies, and other popular breeds. Pit bull dogs are service dogs, therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs, law enforcement dogs, and most importantly, loving family pets across the country.

Breed-neutral policies, such as requiring dogs to be leashed at all times, not allowing retractable leashes that offer less control to handlers, and evaluating each dog based upon that dog’s behavior, are the answer to safe communities. Discriminating against dog owners because of what their dog looks like does NOT make a safe community and is not good policy.

Effective policies put the responsibility on the pet owner. ALL owners, regardless of breed owned, need to be accountable for the actions of their dogs. Singling out only owners of a particular breed leaves an entire segment of the population unaccountable, and leads of unsafe communities.

We invite you to visit our website below for more information and to browse the attached packet, which includes several excerpts from studies by experts in the field of animal welfare.